DATE NIGHT…
The kids were at home with “Auntie Heidi”… and Marco and I had a “date night”… still and quiet… away from the house where there aren’t even dishes to be washed or other half-done tasks to be completed… Very nice… It’s the first time we’ve both been away from the kids… The room cost more than double than what the hotel room did for our honeymoon!!!
…and then the nurse came in to change Marco’s IV fluids…
…so much for the date night…
Yes… in the end Marco got his gallbladder operated on… almost two weeks ago now… He had two quite large stones… and at the same time, he had a keloid removed – a weird growing scar (the doctor called it a benign tumor) that was causing him a lot of discomfort… A skin graft was required… so he is still all bandaged up and he needs to be careful for about a month…
* * *
60 YEARS LATER…
El Jordán generally follows the Bolivian school schedule… we have our “registration” for two weeks in January/February… and start our classes that go until our “graduation” at the end of October… This allows El Jordán to close down completely for about three weeks in January to give workers and volunteers a needed break… and also time to refocus and get ready for a new year…
During this “break”, Marco and I made a list of things we wanted/needed to do: visit with people who are outside El Jordan’s circle who we generally don’t cross paths with, a couple day trips, reports, paperwork… etc… (guess which ones we didn’t get done!!!)
Well… we have neighbours at El Jordán who lend us their patio for the all night cookout of pork and chicken for “Christmas on the Streets”. A couple weeks ago, they invited Marco and I to their dad’s 70-some birthday celebration – an hour and a half out of the city… Out of the blue in the afternoon, the dad, Mateo, started telling us that when he was young, he knew a missionary who travelled around the “Chaco” area of Bolivia… I expected stories about a missionary that I might have heard about, but didn’t know…...
"His name was Harwood... Francisco Harwood!" Mateo was only 12 years old when he met Don Francisco… and it made a real impression on him... Four years later, they crossed paths again…. When I told Mateo that don Francisco was my grandfather - married to Modesta... Mateo said... "yes... her last name was... Leaños... right?"
Wow! Can you believe that? He went on to say how my grandparents travelled around in their Power Wagon, Grandpa always preaching the Gospel... Apparently whenever Mateo has had a chance he's asked about Grandpa, hoping one day to meet up with someone who knew him...
Almost 60 years later, Mateo did find someone who knew him!!!! He ended up visiting with "don Francisco's" GRANDDAUGHTER under the shade of the trees in his own back yard!!!!
Wow...
I have been blessed with such an amazing heritage… I have the privilege of following in the footsteps of godly grandparents… and parents… My prayer is that we can carry on the legacy and be found faithful…
* * *
CHRISTMAS STUFF…
Quite a few people have asked about “Christmas on the Streets”… The event itself has been pretty easy since we cut back two years ago to around 2,500+ plates (narrowing our focus). But the month of December itself was quite full… Some of the things that went on were:
December 1st… Our fund raiser for “Christmas on the Streets” - a musical recital at El Jordan where the entrance fee is a bag of candies for our gift bags… We make up hundreds of homemade tortilla shells and sell tacos, quesadillas and lemonade… This year we raised over $500 for “Christmas on the Streets”.
December 11th… a very, very special, once-in-a-life-time sit-down Christmas meal/celebration for all of our students, volunteers and their families... Uncle Norman, Nancy, my parents and two other families came from Canada to buy and wrap special gifts for EVERYONE, decorate a special hall and cook a delicious buffet meal… Others donated gifts or money… Beautiful, live classical music played as people enjoyed their supper… Usually for any special event, our volunteers work overtime to make it happen… This year they sat back and enjoyed… Everyone, students and volunteers alike, felt like they were in a middle of a dream…
Every Christmas, we do something “special” for our students – we go through our donations and look for things we can use as gifts… Sometimes there have been food hampers for each family. We remind the students that the gifts come from God… We try to get a gift for everyone in the family… (knowing that sometimes these are the only gifts they might receive…) In 2011, finances were very tight… our donations depleted… and we barely had ANYTHING to give to our students… We told them we considered them our family… sharing what we had with them… In “better” times, we were able to give more… but that even in “harder” times, God was still good…There might not be many presents, but we still had oh, so many other gifts from God… air to breathe, hands to work with, and most importantly, forgiveness and salvation for anyone who put their trust in Christ’s payment on the cross…
December 15th: In the midst of the other activities, we participated in a sale at the local missionary kid school… a wonderful opportunity to sell our students’ products – to encourage them and give them extra spending money right before Christmas… The same day, two of our volunteers got married at El Jordan… It was crazy to see our place transformed from preparation center for our Christmas activities… to a beautifully decorated hall for a wedding… and then back to preparations again…
December 12 – 26th – from preparations to clean up for Christmas on the Streets…We were blessed with generous donations from churches, friends and family… Money wise, it was the most stress-free Christmas we’ve had…Thank you to ALL OF YOU who gave so that we could share “Christmas on the Streets” this year!!! A man from our church didn’t show up to “order” his meals for the city’s main holding cells (where street kids, delinquents are rounded up and “held” – no food given – until they are freed or sent to jail), I asked him if he was planning to still help us out this year… “I’ll tell you the truth,” he said, becoming quiet… “I don’t have any money to give an offering this year.” We never ask for offerings – rather – when everyone gives/does what they are able to – it all works out in the end… I reassured him that what we were lacking this year were the people to deliver the meal along with the gospel… We shook hands… smiled… and another piece of the puzzle - “Christmas on the Streets” - fell into place…
We never found anyone to take “Christmas on the Streets” to the market close to El Jordan… so Wilma and I armed ourselves with big bags filled with food and gifts… and walked 12 blocks or so around the market, looking for the “forgotten ones”… A few stick out in my mind…
Three street men were sitting on the sidewalk – sharing a bag of pop and straw (undoubtedly spiked with a small bottle of pure alcohol)… They seemed quite shocked, confused that someone would be talking to them… When I used their street word for “food”, it broke a barrier of mistrust, their eyes brightened and the oldest one began talking with us… he was quite surprised that it was “Christmas Eve” (when Bolivians celebrate)… he had woken up that morning and prayed… he attributed to God our coming by… He wants to change because he has seen some of his friends end their lives on the streets… “So-and-so died right over there…” he pointed…
He thanked us profusely… said that there weren’t many people who would do what we were doing… We pointed to God… His eyes got teary…and we shook hands… he sat a little straighter… and he got ready to eat his food… How many times do we just walk by? People might be calling silently for help… and there is too much noise in our life to hear… What did we do for these guys? Are a meal and a gift bag really that important? (They didn’t even know they were missing Christmas!) Maybe not… but just maybe a flicker of hope was renewed in them… OR they remembered that God does exist… or their hearts were softened just a little bit…
Only God knows…
The other person that made an impression on my heart was a plump, twenty-something girl sitting on the sidewalk… She had the “LOOK” of a street person… not dirty or unkempt… but a sense of aloneness… and lostness…
“Do you watch cars around here?” Her left eye darted at me when she heard my voice and then quickly hung her head and started fiddling with her hands… I crouched beside her and said, “Do you want some food?” Her eye darted over to me… and she hung her face even lower… Wilma gave me a plate of food… but the girl made no move to acknowledge or receive our gift… A flash of fear went through my heart, “Maybe if I keep insisting, she’s going to turn around and pound me…”
“Here is your food and gift” as I put them down on the ground beside her… (a wee bit warily…) No response except the flash of the eye… and a more fervent concentration on her hands… Another thought flashed through my mind… “This is useless…”
Something made me crouch down beside her again… even closer this time… I whispered something in her ear… I can’t even remember what I said… but as I started getting up, she grabbed my hands… pulled them down on her lap… and for two seconds looked at me directly… and promptly started concentrating on my nails…
Silently, she gently touched and examined each one of my nails… Hers were impeccable… A knot hurt my throat… I tried to hold back my tears… Shaking her head, the girl started saying something… It took me a bit to understand… “Your nails are all crooked…”
These are the two moments that stand out in my heart from this “Christmas on the Streets”… no great spiritual revelations or transformations… just forgotten people, getting a small glimpse of light…
Thank you for allowing us to reach out to the “least of these…” I WAS BLESSED...
December 31st… We helped Samuel and Celestina (and their four boys!) move into the boys’ shops to help with upkeep, filling in gaps, being Marco’s right hand… Gonzalo and Eliana are still living there as well with their primary responsibility of taking care of the soccer field rentals…
We met Samuel and Celestina for the first time at our Pastors’ Breakfast in November… God put a desire in Samuel’s heart a while ago to reach out to street kids… he didn’t know how… nor where to start… but they started going to the streets on their own to visit the kids… Someone, knowing their hearts, invited them to join us for our yearly breakfast for church leaders… What shines through in Samuel is his soft heart… and desire to learn and reach out… Celestina has a heart of service…
Please be praying for them as they fit into the workshop team…
*** News from TODAY!!! We might have found someone to set up their welding workshop at our place… with a heart to teach others… Marco has followed up quite a few leads in regards to people to work at our shops… Today, someone showed up at El Jordan… wanting to talk about serving… In the last two years, two people have encouraged him to get involved in El Jordan but he didn’t feel called to pursue the possibility. A third person talked to him this past week about our need for a welder, and he believes God is leading him to us… Please pray that this will be confirmed on both sides as to God’s will… Thanks… ***
* * *
TWO OF ME…
Since the last time I wrote, hoping that my lost file would be found, I’ve been to the immigration place at least 15 or 20 times… some days up to 3 times… Everyone in the office has looked for my file… I was let in after hours to search through boxes full of files, piles on the floor, on shelves, on desks… We went through drawers… and no file…
In the end, I offered to pay the price of my ID card again… and asked them to calculate the fine (which I thought would be 20 bs. a day – almost $3 – since March 23rd…) because I NEED MY ID CARD!!!! In the end they said it would only be 10 bs. a day and only since October… not bad…
When I showed the receipt of my $65 payment to the man in charge, he talked to his boss… He came back with a big smile… and pointed to the sky… “He exists Corina!!!”. The fine had been waived… and I didn’t need to replace all the paperwork that was missing… Tomorrow I’d be the first one in line for my picture (the final step in all of this process)…
I could hardly sleep… (Maybe that was Marlee’s fault…) At 7 the next morning, I was doing the preliminary stuff for getting my picture taken… but alas, they found out I have a double identity… (as if one of me isn’t more than enough!)… It is a data entry mistake (someone missed a number in my card and pushed enter… recording a new “person”…) but I still have to go through a process to eliminate one of me… which includes getting proof of my real number… a legal statement saying I haven’t used the other identity for anything bad… etc… Well.. I’ve already had to go back several times for this problem… including this morning…
…and guess what… I have to go back tomorrow…
Sigh…
* * *
PIG HEAD SOUP ANYONE?
Quite a few people have asked about Ana Gabriela… She and her family seem to be doing well… Juan Pablo finished the rough construction of their room… and they moved in on Sunday... they are so excited about their place… and being able to sleep through rain storms rather than having to cover themselves with plastic or huddle in the driest part of their shack…
We encourage our girls to try and find “jobs” that don’t take them to the streets… So many of our girls may have left drugs and delinquency but they still wander the streets selling… or spend their days/nights “watching cars” downtown… They might not be doing something WRONG… but they aren’t keeping their families safe… their kids are either left alone or tag along – either option gives the kids ample opportunity to go astray or suffer severe consequences starting from a very young age… It is a part of the streets that the girls have such a hard time giving up…
Anyhow… it’s been nice to see Ana Gabriela finding things to do from her house like selling juice and crocheting purses… (although she still goes out selling sometimes…). For the last couple weekends she has been making pig head soup (a delicacy that has to boil all night over a fire…)… and selling out… so she’s encouraged… Pig head soup anyone? Hmm…
Please pray for her and Juan Pablo to continue learning how to communicate in a healthier way… and to have a desire to learn about our Lord Jesus Christ…
* * *
Well… sorry this has dragged on so much… We want to thank you for your support and encouragement… You are appreciated... and we’d like to ask you to continue to uphold us in your prayers…
THANK YOU!!!
Because HE is Faithful…
Corina (for Marco, Keiden and Marlee)